Money Thinking
Number Between

MariaIntroduction
In this interview (based on the game "Number Between") Maria confidently interprets 0.4 and 0.5 as 0.40 and 0.50 (by analogy with money), enabling her to place 0.45 between them. However she cannot find a number between 0.45 and 0.46. Her number line is discrete rather than continuous.

Comments: Text in italics
Interviewer: Text in red
Maria: Text other colour

Interviewer:
In this game you have to type a number which fits on the number line. You can see the two endpoints on the screen.

0.0 - 0.5 - 1.0

Maria:
OK, between nothing and, say, one dollar is 50 cents. So 50 cents, that's point 5.

0.0 - 0.3 - 0.5

Interviewer:
The computer accepted your answer and has given you a new number line for your next turn.

Maria:
I could try 30 cents

0.3 - 0.4 - 0.5

Maria:
Easy, 40 cents

0.4 - 0.45 - 0.5

Maria:
45 cents

0.45 - 0.46 - 0.5

Maria:
46 cents

0.45 - 0.46

Maria:
There is no number that fits between 45 and 46.

Maria believes extra decimal places are "errors" and do not really contribute to the value of the number.